With reference to the report on the Archbishop’s homily, published on The Malta Independent on Tuesday 22 September 2009, please find below the complete text of part of the homily delivered by the Archbishop, which was passed on to the press beforehand, followed by the Curia’s statement.
Translated: “We celebrate in various ways the historic events of our country. When doing so, in a civil and social manner, we are honouring those who were involved in these events. We try and capture the context in which they happened to allow the spirit with which they were achieved or celebrated to inspire us.
We would be adding to the value of the celebration when we let the meaning of those days help us to adapt and live those values in today’s world, in different circumstances. It is in this way that we celebrate Independence Day and all other days that we celebrate as a nation – we also celebrate Our Lady of Victories, the 7th June, Republic Day, Freedom Day – as days which have marked our history.
All these days, each in a different way, show the journey of our People towards achieving liberty. It is a fact that all these events show the eagerness of our predecessors towards achieving political and social liberty for our people. However, Freedom can never be achieved once and for all. Every time that a particular aspect of liberty is attained, immediately, man’s spirit becomes aware of another aspect of liberty that has to be achieved.”
From the above text, it is clear that the Archbishop never mentioned ‘of equal importance’. He did not wish to enter the question of what day should be celebrated as the national day since this falls under political debate and depends solely on the wish of the Maltese people and their representatives. The Church has no ambition in this regard. The Archbishop is sorry to have been interpreted as such, since this was never his intention.
May I add to our statement that the full text of the Archbishop’s homily can be found on our website: www.maltadiocese.org
Kevin Papagiorcopulo
PRO Archbishop’s Curia